Urbanization is progressing much faster in developing countries than in developed countries The share of the urban population is expected

to exceed 50 percent by 2015.

Most of the worlds most populous cities are in developing countries

Many of these cities are in Asian countries

Suspended particulate matter It is measured in micrograms per cubic meter of air Important indicator According to WHO air quality standards it should be less than 90 Higher concentration will create respiratory and heart disease

ENERGY PRODUCTION Energy is poduced in different ways. It can be produced through renewable sources and non renewable of energy. It plays a major role in deciding the concentration of air pollution Using non renewable sources of energy will decrease the air pollution without limiting the economic growth. Nuclear energy is one of the cleanest sources of electricity.

Fuel combustion by motor vehicles is another major source of suspended particulate emissions in urban areas These emissions are particularly detrimental to human health because pollutants are emitted at ground level Motor vehicles in developing countries. still cause serious air pollution because they are concentrated in a few large cities, many are in poor mechanical condition, and few emission standards exist

Two wheelers and cars account for more than 80 percent of the vehicular population in major cities
Delhi is the largest city in terms of total registered motor vehicles Delhi which contains 1.4 percent of population, accounts for 7% of all motor vehicles in India

Airborne Lead Pollution Airborne lead is one of the most harmful particulate pollutants. The main sources of airborne lead are motor vehicles using leaded gasoline, industrial processes such as ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy, and coal combustion. Young children are especially vulnerable: lead poisoning of children leads to permanent brain damage, causing learning disabilities, hearing loss, and behavioral abnormalities. In adults lead absorption causes hypertension, blood pressure problems, and heart disease

Major greenhouse-related gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). India ranks fifth in terms of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions (506.04 MtC, million metric onnes of carbon equivalent) after United States, China, European Union, and Russian Federation. Per capita emission (Tons of C per person) in India is only 0.5 compared to 6.6 in USA.

Major air pollutants are gaseous (SOX, NOX), lead, CO, ozone, respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) and aerosols.

The highest concentrations of air pollutants are found in the urban areas (Fig. 7, NO2, SO2, RSPM) Reasons-Congestion of traffic, poor quality of fuel, inefficient engines and bad maintenance of motor vehicles (Central Pollution Control Board, CPCB).

Recent Climate Trends Changes in hydrological cycle: Increasing air pollution and climatic change in the region is having an impact on the monsoon circulation. Changes in Temperature and Precipitation: Mean surface temperatures have increased by 0.3-0.8 C over the Tropical Asian region in the last 100 years
Atmospheric Brown Cloud over the IG basin Brown cloud is a haze of smoke, brownish in color, threekilometers thick seen over the Tropical Indian Ocean of south, southeast and east-Asia The haze consists of organic carbon, sulfates, nitrates, fly ash and many other harmful chemicals.

Brown cloud, by scattering and absorbing solar radiation, reduces up to 10% of solar energy over oceans and 10-20% over land, thereby cooling land and ocean and heating the atmosphere
This cut in radiance over land and heating of atmosphere causes spatial gradients of atmospheric temperatures thereby altering the monsoon precipitation pattern. This effect was seen in regional monsoon rainfall over India, due to which N-E India Nepal and Bangladesh received intense rain and flooding whereas precipitation was reduced over N-W India and Pakistan.